Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Listen, Learn & Lead

This week’s parsha, Ki
Sisa, contains apexes of glory and splendor, depths of catastrophe, and a
cataclysmic blow, followed by the greatest message of forgiveness in the Torah.

The tragic error and climb back
to teshuvah resound through the ages.

The Bnei Yisroel were
counted and they learned of the ketores and its powers. Hashem told
Moshe that he had selected Betzalel to construct the Mishkon and its keilim
and the bigdei Kohanim. The gift of Shabbos was granted to us and
Moshe was given the luchos.

But then the people sinned and
constructed the Eigel, changing the trajectory of history until this
very day. Moshe descended from his greatness and shattered the luchos as
he witnessed the depravity to which his people had sunk. He summoned the Leviim
and waged war against the sinners.

Hashem wanted to destroy the
Jews, but He relented after Moshe’s pleas and quick action. Moshe was allowed
to ascend the mountain once again and transcribe the luchos. Hashem
revealed the 13 Middos to Moshe and promised to allow the nation to
enter The Promised Land.

It is apparent that as those who
gave birth to the Eigel strengthened and accomplished their goal, Moshe
weakened. The instigators of the Eigel, which they said would lead the
Jews as they believed Moshe’s return from the mountain had been delayed, were
the Eirev Rav, who had joined the Jewish people as they exited
Mitzrayim. When they succeeded in persuading Aharon to tentatively accede to
their plan, Moshe was told, “Lech reid.” He was instructed to go down
and return to his people.

Chazal say (Brachos
32a) that in commanding, “Lech reid,” Hashemwas saying, “Go
down from your greatness, for I have only made you great because of Yisroel,
and now that Yisroel has sinned, of what use are you?”

Very strong words.

The Peirush HaGra on Chumash
(Shemos 32:7), quoting the Tikkunei Zohar, says, “Ispashuta
d’Moshe bechol dor vador. In every generation, there is a nitzutz, a
part of the neshomah, of Moshe Rabbeinu present in one great man.”
Through him, the light ofTorah is transmitted to all the talmidei
chachomim of the generation. All the chiddusheiTorah that is
nischadeish in the world is through the “hashpo’as ohr,” or
influence, of Moshe Rabbeinu.

Several times a week, we say, “Vezos
haTorah asher som Moshe lifnei bnei Yisroel… beyad Moshe.”We extend
our fingers and try to see the holy letters on the parchment, proclaiming not
just that the words form our Torah, but that the Torahwas given
specifically through Moshe.

The repeated testimony to this
fact - not just that the Torahis ours, but that Moshe is the one who
gives it to us - underscores the fact that we are recipients. “Tov ayin hu
yevorach - One who has a bountiful eye will be blessed” (Mishlei 22:9).
This, Chazal teach us, refers to Moshe, who had the ultimate ayin
tova: He gave us the Torah and the ability to plumb its depths. He gave us
the koach to “own” Torah.

The chet ha’Eigel put
that whole gift in jeopardy.

At the time of the Eigel,
Moshe became weakened to such a degree that the luchos were broken,
causing a diminution of Torah knowledge and leading to all the exiles our
people have since endured.

The Vilna Gaon writes (Even
Sheleimah 13:8) that in our time, the Eirev Rav is basically
composed of five groups of people: baalei machlokes and lashon hora,
baalei ta’avah, hypocrites, people who seek honor to make a name for
themselves, and people who crave money. He continues: “The worst are those who
cause machlokes, and they are Amaleikim. Moshiach will not arrive
until the world is rid of them.”

Our actions have consequences.
What we permit other people to do has consequences. We all know that machlokes
plagues our people, but we need to declare that we have had enough of it and
rise up against those who cause machlokes. We need to work to spread
peace and harmony in our community. We need to put aside petty differences. We
need to work together and support good people doing good things instead of
playing along with hypocrites and greedy people. There are many good people out
there. Let’s get behind them and enable them to change the playing field. Let’s
give people a chance.

Everything we have and want
depends on that.

There are ramifications when we
do a mitzvah. It strengthens us and strengthens the world. It adds kedushah
to our lives and also allows us to tap into the ohr of the nitzutz
of Moshe Rabbeinu.

Perhaps most relevant to us is
the power of people to create change. The Eirev Rav weakened Moshe’s
abilities by sowing dissent and confusion, taking away the koach that
had fueled Klal Yisroel’s leader.

Once again, current events
provide an excellent moshol.

It may very well be that Donald
Trump has not yet formulated policies or serious ideas about governing, but
nobody cares, because he gives voice to the attitude that empowers the people.
He talks about the real fear in American homes, the desire to triumph, the hope
of being winners again. He continues to fill large arenas, peddling that
message, and by doing so, he makes the professional politicians look silly. His
bluster and banter echo the conversations in coffee shops and gas stations
across the country, and the people are throwing their support behind him. Tens
of millions of frustrated Americans see him as a person who will really do
something about what is troubling them. He is thus on the path to the White
House, unless someone else can assume that mantle.

The old ways of experts, polls,
position papers, don’t cut it anymore. People want action. They want someone
who talks like them and gives voice to what they want. They want him to be
truthful and straightforward. They don’t want nuances and they don’t care for
long political records and pedigree.

Leadership starts from the
ground up.

When Shlomo Hamelech was given
the ability to choose any gift, the wise king didn’t select power, might or
influence. He asked for a lev shomeia, a heart that would perceive and
discern the needs of others. He wanted the ability to really hear.

A wonderful gift, to be sure,
but what does it have to do with his mission to lead?

Baalei mussar
explain that Shlomo Hamelech understood that the surest way to lead is to
listen to the people and to develop an authentic and genuine interest in what
ails them and what they care about. A leader who can accomplish that will earn
the affinity of the people and they will follow him.

That is exactly what we see
transpiring today in the political arena.

We must learn the lesson in our
world as well.

In order to battle the Eirev
Rav of our day, in order to curb machlokes which weakens the Moshe
Rabbeinus of the dor, in order to get us closer to the coming of Moshiach,
we have to be more intelligent about the way we address people. It is way too
easy to preach and lecture others, admonishing them for what we think they are
doing wrong, but that may not be what works anymore.

To be an effective leader and
communicator, you have to listen to the people and understand how they think
and why they act the way they do. We have to live in the moment and perceive
the current mindset in order to bring about change. We have to have a lev
shomeia if we want to influence people to lead better lives and to give up
their petty battles and other behaviors that are in line with the conduct of
the Eirev Rav.

I always tell people to read the
Yated, if only to stay current and know what is going on in the big
world out there. If you don’t know what is going on, you don’t know the news,
and you don’t know what people are thinking, how do you think you can be
relevant?

Build people up. Have faith in
them to be better and do better. Let them know that you think higher of them
and their abilities. Don’t always knock them down. Try building them up. Talk
positively. Don’t only preach doom and gloom.

Nobody wants to hear the same
old tired narratives they’ve been hearing for years. They want something fresh
that relates to them. Don’t harp on things. Show them the beauty of Torah.
Don’t offer curses. Offer blessings. With a warm, loving demeanor, you can
influence many more people than with a scowl. As the age-old proverb goes, you
can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

We need to win people over. We
have to win the battle. Let’s be plugged in to the hearts and minds of the
masses and work intelligently to convince them to improve and to grow.

A story is told about a fellow
who comes to shul and sits in his seat straight through until Shemonah
Esrei. After davening, the rov bangs on his shtender
and points out that it is improper to sit while reciting Vayevorech Dovid.

The man speaks up and says, “A halbe
yohr, half a year, zitz ich ohn parnossah, I ‘sit’ with no source of
income, and no one says a word. One day zitz ich beim davenen and I hear
all about it.”

The way to create change is to
build up the people through warmth, concern and a lev shomeia, not by
talking down to them or castigating them.

It was the people who gave Moshe
Rabbeinu the koach and the people who removed his koach when they
rebelled with the sin of the Eigel.

Lehavdil, it’s
the people propelling Trump forward, something considered illogical and
impossible by pollsters and pundits not savvy enough to appreciate Shlomo
Hamelech’s wise request.

Listen to the people and you
will lead.

Rav Yeshayale of Kerestir zt”l
was one of the most beloved and revered tzaddikim in prewar Hungary.
Jews from all across the country were drawn to his tiny town, eager for the rebbe’s
brochah and advice.

Once, before tekias shofar on
Rosh Hashanah, Rav Shayele closeted himself in his room to prepare for
the exalted moments. A chossid peered in, certain that he would see the rebbe
engaged in Kabbalistic ritual, saying Tehillim or toiling in Torah.

The chossid saw the rebbe
patiently slicing pieces of cake and preparing platters. The rebbe
noticed the curious chossid and explained. Since the minhag of
chassidim is not to eat before tekios, the rebbe understood
that the mispallelim would no doubt be famished by the end of davening.
He wanted to make sure that none of them, especially the elderly chassidim,
would have to wait following davening and that they would be able to
enjoy Kiddush and a bite of food immediately.

The rebbe used the
moments before tekios as Shlomo Hamelech taught. Rav Shayele connected
with the hearts of his people and prepared food for them. Only after doing
that, was he ready to go to tekiasshofar and plead on their
behalf, for he was a good leader.

A yeshiva bochur was
found being mechalel Shabbos a few times in his yeshiva dormitory.
The heads of the yeshiva went to Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l
for pro-forma permission to expel the boy.

Rav Shach was in his twilight
years, extremely weak and feeble, and rarely saw people. Because of the
severity of this situation, the roshei yeshiva were permitted to enter
his room to discuss the matter with him. He listened to them and was engrossed
in thought for several minutes. Finally, with a weak voice, he said to them,
“What is the financial situation in the boy’s home? Do his parents have shalom
bayis?”

The rabbis were bewildered by
the questions. “How should we know what goes on in his home?” they asked.

Rav Shach strengthened himself,
grasped the table, and pulled himself up in his chair. Tears were flowing down
his cheeks and his voice was stronger than it was before. He turned to the
people who had come to his home convinced that he would rubber stamp their
decision. “Rodfim, leave my home! I don’t want to talk to you. You don’t
know what is going on with the boy. You don’t know what is going on in his
home. The only thing you know is that you want to put him out in the street.
Leave.”

Like all parshiyos and
lessons in the Torah, these lessons are eternally relevant.

We have a fractured dor.
We need to connect to our brethren and understand what lies in the hearts of
the members of our nation and what keeps them awake at night. What worries
them? What bothers them? What are their wants and desires? Do they have
ambition? Do they want to excel at anything? If not, why not? Are they making
ends meet? Do they have a decent place to live? Can they afford their rent or
mortgage? Are they happy with the way their children are turning out? How is
their health? What is the path to affecting their thoughts and behavior?

When we can answer those
questions, we can lead. We can bring people together, work together, and fix
what ails us, as one people with one heart.

We need our leaders to be strong
and our people to be good. In order to accomplish that, we must wipe out the
vestiges of the Eirev Rav from our midst and benefit from the unblocked
light of Moshe. We have to work to cure what ails us in a way that will
succeed.

The Torah was given with an ayin
tovah. With an ayin tovah, we can spread the ways, lessons and
messages of the Torah and create the greatest change of all, allowing the
arrival of Moshiach.